February 25: For many years I harboured the dream of spending an extended period of time in Europe. With parental / family duties continuing, I realized several years ago that this dream was not going to be possible for the foreseeable future.
In 2010, we had a reunion of sorts for the “Inglewood Gang”, a group of friends that I have mostly known since high school. 
I half-jokingly said that the next reunion would be in Paris to celebrate our 65th year on the planet. And in the intervening years I’ve been quietly bugging them about going. I figured that, even if nobody else went, I would have a personal objective to meet.
Over the last 6 months, plans have been firmed up and it looks like there will be 10 people making the trip. In December we booked a place to stay just south of Carpentras, and today I booked the flight, a car, and a motorcycle.
Arriving in Paris, I have a month in a car, then a month on a motorcycle, before a week at the house we rented. I’m hoping to start out in northeast France, and then wander through Alsace, the Black Forest and central Germany to northeastern Italy. I want to scout out the Dolomites – maybe for a future motorcycle trip. I get the bike in Nice and I’m thinking of a loop through the Massif and western France before a longer time in the Pyrenees. My cousin James, brother-in-law Joe, and my good friend Chris are joining me for the last week of the bike trip, probably through southeast France. Then a week at the house with the whole mob, and a few days in Paris before coming home.
As a friend said, it will be long enough to be a journey rather than a trip. I can’t wait…